Week 7 proved to be another good week for the Daily Fantasy Football locks.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski led all tight ends in fantasy scoring, while A.J. Green was second among wide receivers. Even DeMarco Murray wasn’t a bad pick, finishing seventh among running backs in fantasy.
My quarterback Matt Ryan didn’t do very well, but it’s tough to win them all. Picking the top performers at each position, regardless of price on DraftKings, is important for your Daily Fantasy roster.
Here’s the best week 8 Daily Fantasy Football locks for your roster.
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers vs. Atlanta Falcons
This has the makings of an old-fashioned shootout. And in that case, I’m going with a renewed Rodgers against a hapless Atlanta defense.
The Falcons are allowing 294 yards through the air and 15 touchdowns in seven games. Rodgers hasn’t done much for passing yardage, but he’s still putting up touchdowns. He has five games in which he’s accumulated multiple touchdowns.
He got back on track after the bye week on a Thursday home game against Chicago. The Bears aren’t very good, but the Packers moved the ball at will in the second half. That should carry over into the week 8 matchup with the Falcons.
Teams are averaging 42 pass attempts against the Falcons, the second-highest number in the NFL. Rodgers just happened to throw 56 times last week and it still doesn’t appear that a running back will emerge as a viable weapon. Rodgers is one of the most expensive quarterbacks on DraftKings, but he’s worth it this week.
Running Back
Ezekiel Elliott vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Dallas Cowboys rookie running back is becoming matchup-proof.
Elliott took on the best rush defense in week 6 and ran for 157 yards. That was his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance.
He’s aided by the best offensive line in the NFL and that will be on full display Sunday night in Dallas. Philadelphia has a good defense, but it hasn’t done a ton against decent rushing teams. Philadelphia has played two teams that rank in the top-15 in rushing. Both of those teams, Cleveland and Washington, went well over 100 yards rushing.
Dallas just happens to have the best rushing attack in the NFL. Expect the Eagles to not have much resistance.
Wide Receiver
Julio Jones vs. Green Bay Packers
This is a must-win for Atlanta. After last year’s late-season slide, the Falcons can’t afford to take this as just another regular season game.
And with their backs against the wall, Jones should be the primary weapon to make sure last year isn’t going to happen again in 2016.
Jones has been a monster this season, going for more than 100 yards in four games, including back-to-back efforts in the last two weeks against Seattle and San Diego. He’s been especially good at home, going for double-digit fantasy points in all three home games, including a monstrous 300-yard effort in week 4 against Carolina.
Green Bay isn’t afraid to give up passing yards. The Packers rank in the bottom-10 in yards per completion at 7.9 yards, and I don’t believe they can match up with Jones. This has the potential of being a high-scoring affair, meaning Jones will see a healthy diet of targets. That bodes well for anyone playing Daily Fantasy Football.
Tight End
Travis Kelce vs. Indianapolis
I could pick Rob Gronkowski every week, and it wouldn’t be the wrong pick. In fact, it’s probably the best pick, but how fun is it to keep picking the same guy? So if you don’t want to spend all that money on DraftKings, I’ll give you my second-best option.
Kelce has been extremely quiet since Kansas City’s bye in week 5. He has only 56 yards receiving in weeks 6 and 7, and that was against two teams not known for their defensive prowess. With Spencer Ware running at an incredible clip, the Chiefs haven’t needed Kelce.
But this week will be different. The Colts will give up yards on the ground, but they’ll also give up fantasy points to tight ends.
Indianapolis is in the bottom-10 in points allowed to tight ends this season and teams are targeting that position seven times per game against the Colts. That’s above what Kelce has seen in recent weeks, but similar to his numbers earlier this season.
He’ll revert back to form and go for a decent amount of points in week 8.
really nice